Chapter 1 #2
Zach’s lips twitched as he turned back to him, and Drew had a sudden, almost violent urge to lean in and lick him .
. . to feel the scrape of Zach’s stubble against his skin.
He felt his face heat, hoping fervently that demons couldn’t read minds, and he picked up the menu once more to hide his embarrassment.
Drew had absolutely no idea where these urges were coming from and they were rather confronting.
He’d been aware of attractive people in the past, but he’d never really felt any desire towards them, and he’d even suspected he might be ace, though the lust he felt surging through his veins at this very moment put that to doubt.
Maybe the demon was doing something, messing with his mind?
Or, a small voice at the back of his head piped up, maybe he’s just the hottest thing you’ve ever seen and you want him to fuck you five ways to Sunday.
“Everything alright there, Drew?” Zach asked, the hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. “You seem a little . . . peaky.”
He almost squeaked, turned it into a sort of choked cough, and cleared his throat.
“No, um, I’m fine. I’m good, everything’s good.
It’s totally fine.” God damn it, Zach was doing the eyebrow thing again.
Surely he had to know what a formidable weapon it was?
Drew scrambled to come up with something to say to distract them both from how pathetic he was being.
“So, uh, witches and demons and stuff are totally a thing, huh?” Oh yeah, that sounded intelligent.
Zach just nodded, but his eyes crinkled in amusement. “Yep, we sure are.”
Drew nodded along. “You learn something new every day. Are there other things, like werewolves and stuff?”
“There are people with transformative magic, but no, ‘werewolves’ are not a thing. The moon affects the tides, not someone’s metaphysical state.
I can’t understand why people believe it would.
” His tone was the exact one Aunt Harriett used when she explained to their neighbour that she was never going to get rich from a pyramid scheme—a little bit condescending, a little bit exasperated, and a little bit fond.
“Oh, but demons with Wi-Fi are a thing,” Drew snarked. “That’s totally more believable than someone turning into a wolf during the full moon. What internet provider do you use? Do you even have an account?”
“We use Comcast and don’t be ridiculous . . . we don’t pay for an account.”
“So you just steal people’s bandwidth?”
Zach rolled his eyes. “No, we get it in exchange for providing lesser demons for their call centres.”
Drew snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”
“It’s a system which works surprisingly well.”
“I’m sure.”
“It benefits everyone.”
“Except for the customers ringing in for tech support.”
Zach sniffed delicately. “People who don’t know the difference between an internet browser and a search engine don’t deserve nice things.”
“That’s harsh,” Drew teased.
Zach shrugged. “I’m a demon, what else do you expect?”
Drew leaned back in his chair to make room for the waitress who had arrived and was placing their food in front of them, the food which Zach had paid for after appearing in Drew’s kitchen because of his failed chicken noodle soup disaster.
He wanted to point out that he hadn’t expected a demon to be so kind, or so intelligent or tech savvy, or to have such a great sense of humour, but he kept quiet, not sure if he wanted to push the boundaries and see what a demon was really capable of.
All Drew really knew was that he knew nothing at all.
It wasn’t as if anything he’d studied in his MBA course had prepared him for such a situation.
Zach looked at the double-shot peppermint mocha in front of him suspiciously.
He’d opted for coffee only while Drew got a proper meal.
He picked it up and sniffed it and then his tongue darted out to lick at the whipped cream on top of it.
Drew blushed as he watched Zach’s cream-covered tongue disappear back into his mouth, leaving behind a smidgen of cream on his upper lip.
He looked away just in time to avoid seeing that tongue peek out and lap it away.
He hadn’t had a chance to do his laundry yet and he didn’t have any clean underwear, so if he ruined these ones by coming in his pants, he was screwed.
“I’m beginning to suspect,” Zach mused, eyes still glued to the beverage.
“That this should be classified as dessert, not coffee.”
“Well, it’s a mocha so it’s kinda both, rolled into one big cup of deliciousness,” Drew defended it.
Zach took a sip, frowned thoughtfully, and then took another sip. “It’s not bad,” he conceded. “But it’s a little too sweet for me.” He pushed it across the table to Drew. “You have it. I’ll order some plain coffee instead.”
“Thanks,” Drew mumbled around a mouthful of the burger he’d ordered.
He knew he was eating too fast, shovelling food into his mouth as quickly as he could as Zach signalled to the waitress, but he was too hungry to care.
He’d been living on ramen and white bread, too proud to ask Aunt Harriett for money for food, and telling his friends that he’d eat when he got home to avoid spending money when they were out studying.
It had been at least three days since his last proper meal—his best friend Todd went to uni up in Parksville and his family had Drew around once a month for dinner—and so all decorum had gone out the window.
At least Zach didn’t seem to be offended, doctoring the black coffee the waitress bought him with a little creamer and then savouring the taste as he sipped it slowly.
It took a matter of minutes for Drew to clear his plate of everything, even the salad garnish, and he drained an entire glass of water to fill in the gaps.
He was feeling full for the first time in months, and he took a mouthful of the mocha, just enjoying the sweet taste in his mouth before he swallowed.
It was the perfect end to his meal. “So, how long does this summoning thing last?” he asked, both curious and not wanting the comfortable silence to drag out until it became awkward.
“Until you send me back,” Zach replied.
Drew bit his lip. “Um . . . how do I do that?”
“No idea,” Zach said cheerfully. “I’m not the witch here.”
“Neither am I!” Drew protested.
Shrugging, and looking totally unconcerned, Zach just said, “I guess you’re stuck with me for a while then.”
There were several problems Drew could see with that, the biggest being he wasn’t sure how he’d survive being around someone as attractive as Zach without making an utter fool of himself.
Also, how was he going to explain Zach to his friends?
If they showed up and saw him, they were going to ask questions.
They all knew he didn’t know anyone like Zach, and they’d want to know where they met, who he was, and of course they’d be able to tell right away that Drew thought he was hot.
Anyone who knew Drew knew he normally didn’t react to an attractive person at all, so his bumbling and blushing would be like a beacon. He’d never live it down.
Before Drew had a chance to try and articulate any of this into a reasoned argument about why Zach couldn’t stay around and that they’d need to find a way to send him home, Zach derailed his train of thought.
“Ooh, what’s their pie like here? I haven’t had really good pie in almost as long as the coffee.”
“Oh, um, it’s good. Really good.”
“Hmmm, really good, huh? Really good as in, ‘I feel like something sweet and it’s better than McDonald’s soft serve,’ or really good as in, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten before?’”
“Really good, as in I’d sell my soul to you for a piece,” Drew said without really thinking, and then when it clicked what he’d said, his hand flew up to his mouth and he stared in horror at Zach.
Who simply laughed. “I’m a demon, not the Devil. My currency isn’t souls. I am known to trade favours for pie, though, so if it’s as good as you say it is, how ’bout I get us both a slice?”
Curious as to what favours he’d trade, Drew managed to nod. “Sure, um, thanks.”
“What would you suggest? Cherry? Blueberry?”
He shook his head. “Nope, it’s the banana cream pie for the win here.”
Zach did his sexy eyebrow thing again, and Drew was starting to wonder if his eyebrows had a mind of their own. “Bold choice, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off.”
That sent Drew spluttering but he couldn’t find the words.
Zach laughed. A deep, rumbling sort of laugh that caused Drew’s stomach to flutter. “Your face is so cute when it’s shocked,” he said. “After all you’ve learned about me tonight, are you still surprised I know movie references?”
“I haven’t learned that much about you,” Drew protested.
“But you’ve learned enough to know that my pop-culture knowledge shouldn’t shock you.” Zach’s eyes seemed to twinkle as he regarded Drew. “I however am shocked that you got the reference. How old were you when Dodgeball was released?”
“That’s not the point!” Drew protested, not wanting to admit the movie was actually older than he was and draw even more attention to his youth.
“I really think it is,” Zach said, laughing again. He flagged down the waitress once more and ordered two slices of the pie, and she topped up his coffee while she was there. “So, you’re at university, yes?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Drew replied, nodding. “Vancouver Island University.”
“What are you studying?”
“Masters of Business Administration.”
Zach nodded as if he found this acceptable. “But no electives in witchcraft?”
“Strangely enough, VIU doesn’t offer those,” Drew drawled.
“And here I thought universities these days had standards,” Zach said with mock disappointment.
“I’m so sorry to be the bearer of such terrible news.”
Zach waved a hand magnanimously. “I won’t hold it personally against you.”
“You’re too kind,” Drew said.
“I’m really not,” Zach replied with a wink. If Drew tried to wink at someone he either looked like a creep or like he had bad allergies, but as with everything else, Zach just looked suave and sexy doing it.
“So, do I really um . . . really need a . . . a spell to send you home?” Drew asked, suddenly serious. He toyed with his napkin, scrunching the corners up rhythmically.
“Yeah, you do,” Zach said, and his mirth had dispersed as well. “And I was being honest when I said that I don’t know what it is.”
“Are you going to be mad if you’re stuck here for a while? I mean, I’m sure it’s uh, disrupted your day-to-day life just a bit.”
Zach smiled at him and his heart lifted. “Trust me, kid, I’m happy to be here. Sure, it was a bit of a shock when you summoned me, which is why I was a little angry, but it’ll be nice to be here on Earth for a while.”
He sighed in relief. “Oh, good.”
“Were you worried I’d be mad and would go on a rampage, torturing those closest to you and holding them hostage until you sent me back?”
He blushed again. “Erm . . . maybe?”
This sent Zach into a series of bellowing laughs that drew the attention of the handful of other customers in the diner. “Oh, that’s just precious,” he stuttered between laughs. “I didn’t think I was that menacing!”
Drew’s eyes narrowed—he didn’t like being laughed at. “You’re a demon,” he hissed. “I’m sure you’re good at acting all nice and friendly, but I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility that you can do some really fucked-up things!”
Zach finally stopped laughing, and then he nodded. “Okay, yeah, you got me there. I am capable of some horrible things, but I don’t have any intention of making your life a living hell while I’m here, Drew. I like you. Your friends and family are safe from me.”
It shouldn’t have made him feel all warm and fuzzy to hear that a freaking demon liked him, but it did.
Drew tried to hide his pleased smile, but he could tell by Zach’s expression he’d failed.
The waitress arrived back with their pie and he watched as Zach dug in, holding off on taking a bite of his own.
When the demon’s eyes fluttered closed and he moaned a little around his forkful of pie, Drew hurriedly shovelled a bite into his own mouth to distract himself.
That sound had shot straight to his cock and he was close to giving away how much Zach was affecting him.
He may have Zach’s promise that he wouldn’t torture Drew’s loved ones, but he seemed to be quite content to torture Drew. Slow, sexy torture.
Maybe he had hidden kinks he didn’t know of, because to Drew, that actually didn’t sound too bad.